Decision Points

David Makovsky
  • 5.0 (8)
  • News Commentary
  • Biweekly

Decision Points is the podcast that gets beyond the noise on tough choices in the Middle East. Hosted by David Makovsky of The Washington Institute, the show brings together top policymakers and experts from Washington and the region for candid conversations about the forces and factors driving Middle East policymaking.   Season Six tackles the toughest U.S. foreign-policy debates, from the brink of war in Iran to the painful aftermath in Gaza and the new government in Syria. In each episode, Makovsky sits down with top American, Israeli, and Arab policy experts and former officials to clarify the options and understand the stakes. This season asks: Is the Middle East headed for more war and uncertainty? Or could America help the region move toward greater security and progress?   David Makovsky directs the Washington Institute’s Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations and is a leading expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and U.S.-Israel relations. He served as a senior advisor to the special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations at the U.S. Department of State in 2013-14 and is the author of four books on Arab-Israeli relations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Oct 29

    Where Does Israel Go After Its Rollercoaster Election? With Dennis Ross, Gili Cohen, David Makovsky and Felicia Schwartz

    In this special episode, recorded live on October 28 as a Washington Institute panel, moderator Felicia Schwartz sits down with analysts Gili Cohen, David Makovsky, and Dennis Ross to understand the results and the policy implications of Israel's first election since Hamas's October 7, 2023, assault. Is the bloc led by incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu or opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot better positioned to form a viable governing coalition? What drove the historic surge in voting by Arab citizens of Israel, and will they play an expanded role in Israeli politics? What are the implications of a possible renewed round of U.S. or Israeli bombing of Iran? Will the elections change anything in Gaza or spur Israel to rein in extremist settler violence in the West Bank? And what could a caretaker Netanyahu government, an Eisenkot-led coalition, or a national-unity government mean for waning American public support for Israel and the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship? Gili Cohen is the diplomatic correspondent for Kan, Israel's public broadcaster. David Makovsky is a former State Department official, the director of the Washington Institute's project on Arab-Israel relations, and the host of "Decision Points." Ambassador Dennis Ross, the Washington Institute's counselor, served as the chief U.S. Middle East peace negotiator during the Clinton administration and as the top Middle East official on the National Security Council in the Obama administration. Moderator: Felicia Schwartz is a national security reporter at MS NOW, and she formerly covered Israel and the Palestinian territories for The Wall Street Journal. This episode is an edited version of the original October 28, 2026 event. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Where Does Israel Go After Its Rollercoaster Election? With Dennis Ross, Gili Cohen, David Makovsky and Felicia Schwartz

  2. Oct 16

    Israel's Most Consequential Election? with Tamar Hermann, Yaakov Katz, and Amit Segal

    In this special episode, recorded live as a Washington Institute Policy Forum, host David Makovsky sits down with leading Israeli experts Tamar Hermann, Yaakov Katz, and Amit Segal to discuss the stakes in Israel's first election since Hamas's October 7th attacks, the Gaza war, and the start of the 2026 Iran war. What are Israeli voters' main priorities? What will drive the wrangling over forming a new governing coalition? And what will the showdown between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot mean for Israel’s democracy, its relationships with its regional neighbors and Europe, and the U.S.-Israel special relationship? Prof. Tamar Hermann is one of Israel’s leading pollsters. She is a senior research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute and the academic director of its Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research. Yaakov Katz is an Israeli-American author and journalist, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, and the co-founder of the Middle East-America Dialogue. He is a former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, where he is now a columnist. Amit Segal is chief political analyst for Israel’s Channel 12 News, the anchor of Channel 12’s “Meet the Press” show, and a columnist for the Israeli daily newspaper Israel Hayom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Israel's Most Consequential Election? with Tamar Hermann, Yaakov Katz, and Amit Segal

  3. Oct 12

    Can Israel Win Back the American People? with Stanley Greenberg and Victoria Coates

    Recent polling shows that U.S. public opinion on Israel has plunged to historic lows after the grueling two-year war in Gaza and amid the unpopular U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Is American public support for Israel undergoing a fundamental shift, or is the current backlash temporary? What role will changing American public attitudes toward Israel play in the midterm elections and in U.S. Middle East policy moving forward? Host David Makovsky sits down with veteran Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg and former senior Trump National Security Council official Victoria Coates to go beyond the numbers, understand why so many Americans have soured on today's Israel, and explain what can be done. Victoria Coates served in 2019-20 as deputy national security advisor for the Middle East and North Africa and served earlier in the first Trump administration as senior director for strategic communications at the National Security Council. She is the vice president of the Heritage Foundation’s Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy. Stanley Greenberg is a New York Times best-selling author and a polling adviser to presidents, prime ministers, and CEOs worldwide. He was the senior pollster for President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, as well as for British Prime Minister Tony Blair, South African President Nelson Mandela, and Israeli Prime Minster Ehud Barak. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Can Israel Win Back the American People? with Stanley Greenberg and Victoria Coates

  4. Sep 22

    What's Next for Hamas, 3 Years After October 7th?

    Almost three years after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, the Palestinian jihadist group has been battered but not destroyed. Hamas has consolidated its control over the most densely populated portion of Gaza. Meanwhile, President Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza remains stalled, and Israel holds the bulk of the Strip. U.S. presidential envoy Jared Kushner recently met directly with Hamas leaders, even as the new Board of Peace is struggling to make progress toward Hamas's disarmament and Gaza's reconstruction.  Will Hamas really disarm, or is it just stalling? Could Hamas ever transform itself into a widely accepted Palestinian political party, as Turkey and Qatar urge? And is there a way toward a better new chapter for Palestinians in Gaza?  Host David Makovsky sits down with former U.S. and Israeli intelligence officials, Matthew Levitt and Neomi Neumann, to discuss the future of Hamas and Gaza.  Matthew Levitt is a senior fellow at The Washington Institute and the director of its program on counterterrorism and intelligence. He served in 2005-07 as deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and analysis at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.  Neomi Neumann is an adjunct fellow at The Washington Institute. She formerly served as the head of the research unit at Israel’s Shin Bet domestic-security agency and with Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    What's Next for Hamas, 3 Years After October 7th?

  5. Jul 20

    Are Israel and Turkey on a Collision Course? With Tamir Hayman and James Jeffrey

    The recent NATO summit in Ankara raised the already high temperatures between Israel and Turkey, two major regional powers. President Trump says he's considering selling U.S. F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey despite the opposition of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Israel and Turkey remain at loggerheads over Turkey's support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas even as Israel and Turkey compete for influence in Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean. As Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan jockey for favor with President Trump and face rising criticism from Congress, are two key American allies headed for a collision? Host David Makovsky discusses the increasingly tense Israeli-Turkish relationship with Tamir Hayman, a former head of Israel's military intelligence service, and James Jeffrey, a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey.  Tamir Hayman, a major general in the reserves of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), is executive director of the Institute for National Security Studies, a think tank in Tel Aviv, Israel. He served as chief of the IDF's Intelligence Directorate from 2018-21.  James F. Jeffrey is a distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute and a former U.S. ambassador to both Turkey and Iraq. He served as U.S. special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in the first Trump administration and as a deputy national security adviser in the George W. Bush administration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. Jul 6

    Can Gaza Have a Brighter Future? With Ghaith al-Omari and Shira Efron

    The Gaza war is over, but the misery on the ground continues. Reconstruction in the Gaza Strip has stalled; Hamas refuses to disarm; and the world's attention has moved on to the Iran war and other issues. Gaza remains bitterly divided: Hamas retains its grip on Gaza's densely populated coast, and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ​recently said that he had directed Israel's military to seize 70% of the strip. With President Trump's 20-point peace plan stalled, Palestinians in Gaza continue to endure appalling humanitarian conditions. Host David Makovsky sits down with former Palestinian Authority peace negotiator Ghaith al-Omari and American-Israeli security expert Shira Efron to discuss ways to make progress in postwar Gaza.  Ghaith al-Omari is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute and a former advisor to the Palestinian Authority's negotiating team during the 1999–2001 permanent-status talks with Israel. Dr. Shira Efron is RAND Corporation's distinguished Israel policy chair and has also worked at Israel Policy Forum, the Center for American Progress, and other think tanks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Can Gaza Have a Brighter Future? With Ghaith al-Omari and Shira Efron

  7. Jun 22

    The Aftershocks of the Iran War, with Amb. Barbara Leaf and Kirsten Fontenrose

    The conflict may be over, but the shockwaves of the Iran war are still spreading. The United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states endured Iranian drone and missile strikes; Iran withstood weeks of bombardment from the U.S. and Israel, which have perhaps the world’s two strongest air forces; and leaders across the region have been left wondering if they can rely on the U.S. for security. Gulf countries face a choice between uniting against Iran or accommodating the increasingly IRGC-dominated regime in postwar Tehran. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu fears that President Trump will blame Israel for the war’s shortcomings and constrain Israel’s ability to act against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Lebanese government will struggle to resist Iran and Hezbollah’s efforts to sideline Beirut and scuttle its peace talks with Israel. Host David Makovsky sits down with former top U.S. Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf and former National Security Council official Kirsten Fontenrose to understand the regional fallout of the war. Kirsten Fontenrose served in 2018 as senior director for the Gulf at the National Security Council and is now a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Ambassador Barbara Leaf served from 2022-25 as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, from 2014-18 as U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and from 2013-14 as deputy assistant secretary of state for the Arabian Peninsula. She is now senior international policy advisor at the law firm Arnold & Porter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The Aftershocks of the Iran War, with Amb. Barbara Leaf and Kirsten Fontenrose

  8. Jun 8

    The AI Race in the Middle East, with Avner Golov and Grant Rumley

    Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly central to U.S. strategy in the Middle East. AI has played a pivotal role in the current Iran war, even as the U.S. is deepening its AI investments in the region. Israel and the Gulf are also jockeying to become key partners in the regional AI landscape. Host David Makovsky sits down with two top analysts, former Israeli National Security Council aide Avner Golov and former Pentagon official Grant Rumley, to understand the opportunities and pitfalls that AI poses for American policymaking in the Middle East. Avner Golov is vice president of research and alliances at MIND Israel, a Tel Aviv-based strategic-advisory firm, and a former senior director for foreign policy on Israel's National Security Council. Grant Rumley is a senior fellow at The Washington Institute, where he directs the program on great power competition. From 2018-21, he served on the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy's Middle East team in roles including deputy chief of staff, Israel director, Jordan director, and Syria director. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The AI Race in the Middle East, with Avner Golov and Grant Rumley
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About

Decision Points is the podcast that gets beyond the noise on tough choices in the Middle East. Hosted by David Makovsky of The Washington Institute, the show brings together top policymakers and experts from Washington and the region for candid conversations about the forces and factors driving Middle East policymaking.   Season Six tackles the toughest U.S. foreign-policy debates, from the brink of war in Iran to the painful aftermath in Gaza and the new government in Syria. In each episode, Makovsky sits down with top American, Israeli, and Arab policy experts and former officials to clarify the options and understand the stakes. This season asks: Is the Middle East headed for more war and uncertainty? Or could America help the region move toward greater security and progress?   David Makovsky directs the Washington Institute’s Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations and is a leading expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and U.S.-Israel relations. He served as a senior advisor to the special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations at the U.S. Department of State in 2013-14 and is the author of four books on Arab-Israeli relations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    David Makovsky
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    82
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
  • Show Website
    Decision Points

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